Favorite Way to Read: The OverDrive App

Posted on May 24, 2016

Something you might not know about me is that I am not the best reader. Meaning I love to read but I read super slow and not so often.

But I recently discovered that I can read more if I listen to audio books instead of actually having a real book in my hands. I don’t know what it is but I’m very impatient and while it is nice to sit with a cup of coffee and your favorite book, I can’t sit too long and get restless quick, I want to get moving, do something else; I tell you, it’s weird!

So, the audiobooks allow me to do something else while reading, like drive, run or cook for example. First, I did try the Audible App which is super cool! But I couldn’t really afford to pay a monthly subscription. So I found out about OverDrive and I fell in love!

OverDrive is an App that can connect to your local library and allows you to borrow and download ebooks or audiobooks, just as if you were going to the library, with the use of your library card.

It was not love at first sight! While you can borrow books for free, they don’t have a huge selection and you might not find all the books you want to read there. And sometimes you find it but there is a log waiting list so you have to place a hold and be patient for your turn. But all libraries are different, some might have more books, some less.

Here is a tip: Get as many library cards as you can so you can look at all those library’s catalogs. Maybe your city has one library system but the city right next to you has another one and they allow you to get a card there too.

Here in San Diego we have several; until now I have two cards, the San Diego Public Library and the San Diego County Library. And I also have a card from the Los Angeles Library so if I don’t find a book in one of them I look in the others.

There are no fees when you borrow books on OverDrive because when the book is due it will be blocked from your app and you won’t be able to keep reading it. Cool thing is it does tell you how many days you have left all the time.

Oh! And something else I love is that if you use the app on different devices, like your phone and then your tablet, it will synchronize so you can catch it wherever you left off!

I’m telling you, it wasn’t love at first sight but now I’m OverDrive’s #1 fan!! I’ve learned the ropes!

I have read about 6 books already this year!! That is a lot for me!!

I want to give you my book recommendations and tell you a little bit more that you can do with the app but this post is getting too long so I broke it in two! I’ll post that info next week.! Meanwhile, download the app and start using it, seriously, you won’t regret it! But do have patience, my friends!!